The chimera sank into the void, slow and heavy; the void was a mire—struggle only dragged it deeper.

No fear in its eyes—only rage and old hate. Its tail shivered; venom fanned out like a storm. The Moon Owl, holding the rift, couldn't dodge.

A crimson blur slammed into the Moon Owl. Her spell snapped.

Backlash hit like thunder. Her skin split; blood soaked the earth.

She forced her eyes open, scanning through pain. No sign of who had knocked her aside.

Then a pink silhouette streaked in from afar. Relief flickered—this would end...

Space healed as her spell failed; cracks stitched themselves. The chimera beat its wings, lifting from the broken void, yet stray wind-blades bit its hide.

For a beast that vast, such cuts were gnats on granite.

It drifted toward the Moon Owl. Four eyes fixed on the girl who almost banished it; she was drenched in blood, drained of even a thread of Mana.

“I did not expect, after years cut off from this world, that humans would grow seeds this strong. Given time, they'd be a disaster for ours.”

It raised a claw; pressure rolled like a stormfront.

A pink figure crashed into the leonine claw. Rose-tinted breath surged, fusing into a towering phantom. One sweep knocked the chimera's forepaw aside.

“You did your best!”

The girl was the Warden of the Twelfth District, the only public-facing Chapter Three. Her form matched a Cantata Two, but her Mana dwarfed theirs—and she wielded what they lacked: Unsealing.

“Restrictions, open! Magic Armor, stack!”

“O gods of the night sky, cast your gaze. Let the river of stars pave the road; let the stars become lanterns to the unknown hall... At this very moment—Unsealing!”

Her pale-pink train streamed long, waving like tides in midair. Along its edges bloomed powder-rose roses. Twin ponytails of pink hair fluttered. White shoes hung above shattered ruins; she stepped on the void, and it rang, crisp as chimes.

Her rose-and-ivory eyes glowed. A blush-white halo swept the pink giant, cloaking it in pure light. The halo hardened into immaculate armor.

“All flash, no substance!”

The chimera spoke. Snake eyes brimmed with scorn; lion eyes held wary calm, unafraid.

“Try me.”

She alighted on the giant's shoulder, fingers brushing its slick armor. The giant grasped the void; a pure-white greatsword descended. It struck the chimera's scales—ringing bright, wind-pressure booming outward.

The chimera aimed the serpent head. A slender violet beam lanced forth; corrosive ichor splashed the giant, eating a ragged wound.

The giant seized a wing. The blade followed—Mana-forged edge, keen and stubborn—shearing off the bare-scaled left wing.

The chimera wasn't a Mana construct. Pain hit real—wing torn, agony burrowing to bone. The lion roared; the serpent tail keened.

She caught the beat and drove the giant to swing again.

But the chimera wasn't soft prey. Its twin horns slammed the giant, denting the spotless armor inward.

“O towering palace of white, a giant stands in vigil. The chosen arrives! Purge all impurity; purge all foes! That which must be erased. Δηλαδή, πρέπει να διαγραφεί.”

A pink halo crashed from midair. Pale rose sigils crawled over the giant, then flooded the blade. The greatsword blazed.

Wind-pressure flared around the giant as the girl continued her chant:

“Shield! Guard the sacred; guard my ally!”

A light-shield wrapped the Moon Owl. The storm couldn't touch her.

The greatsword elongated. The giant gripped with both hands and swept broad.

The chimera smelled pure danger in that arc. Take it, and it would be mangled—maybe die in the human world. Wingless, it couldn't dodge. It chose to go all in.

It knew the girl's Unsealing had limits. The stronger the power, the harsher the timer and drain. Her time was near its edge; she needed it swift.

Survive this strike, and it still had a chance.

It gathered everything into a dark-gold ward and met the white blade head-on.

This blow would decide it.

Blade and barrier collided. A hairline crack spread across the sword first.

The chimera grinned. It strode in, slowly opening its maw.

Golden fire poured out, cloaking the white giant. The heat baked its armor, melting the immaculate shell.

The serpent head cackled, high and shrill—eyes bright with narrow escape and mockery for humankind. The lion kept wary, yet a hoarse laugh rumbled up.

Cracks ran along the white blade; it began to come apart.

But the girl didn't waver. Her face stayed calm.

“You lost.”

The pure-white sword shattered, turning to star-grit that drifted away. The serpent head started to speak, eyes half-lidded, ready for a victor's feast.

“The loser is you... Purge!”

The giant's fist fell. The ward burst. Invisible Mana slit the chimera's hide, cleaving it clean in two.

“You broke your own sword on purpose...”

The lion head forced out its last words and fell.

“Right. Your shield was sturdy; my blade couldn't pierce it. But I left Mana outside your ward. Shatter it, and the lingering edge cuts you to ribbons.”

She released her Unsealing and Magic Armor, touched down on the ruins, and wiped blood from her cheeks.

She checked her Mana—barely enough to duel a Cantata Two. She landed by the Moon Owl, lifted her, and rushed her back to the base for urgent care.

...

The Mutual Aid Society was logistics. Magic Maidens there weren't strong, yet they could tilt a battlefield.

Chen Xiaoyin, a member, sat in a Mutual Aid Society transport. They'd been sent to tend the wounded and handle support tasks.

A girl beside her broke into tears, fear flooding like rain.

“Monsters... so many monsters. I want to go home. I shouldn't have come...”

Another girl tried to soothe her, but the words fell thin.

“It should be fine. Jiuxiong's so secure. I hope he's okay...”

Chen Xiaoyin glanced toward Jiuxiong. The Obsidian Stone barrier had already risen. Obsidian Stone was the strongest ward by repute; with high purity, you could lock even a dragon.

“Look! The big monster got killed by the white giant!”

“It's the Warden!”

“That's the peak of a Magic Maiden—the limit, Chapter Three!”

Cheers burst inside the vehicle. The air eased a little.

Their destination was a makeshift aid station. Most with her were healers and supports; having Chen Xiaoyin, a shield-user, felt odd in the mix.

“What do I do?”

She asked the on-site lead. The coordinator pointed out toward the field.

“Not much for you here. You're shield-focused; healing's not your forte. Take patrol.”

“Report any incident at once; we'll move people out immediately.”

The slight stung, but she didn't slack. Wounded crowded the tents—mostly Magic Maidens who'd come to help. If this site failed, losses would be brutal.

“Message received. We need to send a top First Symphony—healer-support—to the Order Keeper base. Move fast!”

Chen Xiaoyin looked over. Three girls stood before the coordinator; one had red-rimmed eyes—the crying girl. She was a top First Symphony, unexpectedly.

“You. No right to refuse. The fight's urgent—go, now!”

In the distance, artillery stitched the sky; Monsters shrieked.

The girl was chosen. Fear flooded her gaze. She didn't want to go—at all. Meet Monsters, and you could die.

“Must she go?”

Chen Xiaoyin asked if they could swap someone, or drop the assignment.

“Yes. It's a Cantata Two. Losing a Cantata Two guts the field. You know that.”

As a Magic Maiden, she knew exactly what that loss meant.

No way to dodge it.

She looked at the girl, still weeping, and asked:

“Can I go with her? The road's dangerous. One more pair of eyes helps.”

The coordinator weighed it. Chen's task wasn't crucial; better to reassign it and let the healer work at full strength.

“Fine, but find someone to cover your post.”

Chen's ties were decent; she secured a replacement. She boarded with the girl, heading for the Order Keeper's Twelfth District branch.

They boarded again; the bus rumbled like a tired ox. The girl sat in the back, eyes like rain. Chen sat beside her.

“What's your name?”

“Xia Qingqing.”

Hearing her, the girl ducked her face lower, like a leaf folding.

“You don't want the front, do you?”

She shook her head and cried harder, shoulders rippling like small waves.

“I want to stay with my family. I chose the Mutual Aid Society; I don't want the front. I'm afraid of dying, afraid of never seeing them again... War came. I can't do it... I'll die, for sure...”

She sobbed, breath hitching like a bird's wing. Chen patted her back and spoke softly.

“That's why I chose the Mutual Aid Society too. I'm an orphan, but I have a younger brother—not by blood, but closer than. He's in college. I want him to be okay.”

“I'm afraid of death too... afraid of the front, of dying in some nameless monster's maw. I want to jump off the ride. But clearly, now isn't the time to run. If everyone runs, the city's lost to their howls; they'll all die... I have to stand.”

“It's okay... It'll be okay. I know you're scared. Even if you run, I won't blame you. My gift is a shield. For now, I'll guard you, until you're safe.”

As she finished, a glint welled in her eyes.

“Thank you...”